Amherst Twp. considers roads and bridges levy

Amherst Township trustees placed a 3.9-mill additional levy for roads and bridges on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The five-year levy would raise $443,568 a year, costing an owner of a $100,000 home $136.50, according to information from the office of Lorain County Auditor Craig Snodgrass.

Neil Lynch, a trustee since 2002, said the levy replaces money lost to the township by cuts from funding sources that previously helped small government entities.

“For us, it’s over $261,000 a year in reductions,” Lynch said.

Passing the levy would cover the cost of two additional road projects a year, to help the township catch up on needed road repairs, Lynch said.

“This is going to cover any equipment we need,” Lynch said. “We reduced employee head count through attrition. We shifted revenue from a Fire and Rescue levy by a vote in 2011, but that’s temporary. We can’t keep doing that.”

David Urig, a trustee for 32 years, said the township cannot continue to patch roads and push back projects because of lack of money.

“We have spots here and there that are needing attention,” Urig said. “Right now, we’re doing a lot of (bandage) work, pushing things down.

“Things are getting behind where we want to be. We’ve got quite a bit of concrete in Hidden Valley that needs to be replaced. Loans were taken out to repair roads. We’re still paying on those.”

Other areas include Middle Ridge Road, Rice Road and Hornyak Court.

“Our budget is too stressed,” Urig said. “We’re doing projects, but we’re stretching them out too far. If we can’t do them this year, we have to stretch it out to next year. If we can’t do it next year, we have to stretch it out to the next.

“My personal thinking is, we can ask for it. As a trustee, I can only ask, and it’s up to the people. I know there are a lot of people out there and their budgets are really stressed. This is the first time we’ve done this.”

Urig noticed about four years ago the conditions of roads deteriorated more than usual.

“They really began to unravel,” he said. “That really broke up the roads. In Indian Valley, primarily the roads are approaching 40 years old. For one stretch it could cost $1.5 million in just concrete. To replace these long sections that need to be replaced, it’s going to take some money.”